We would all have to agree that the virtuous woman Solomon spoke so highly of in Proverbs 31 was certainly smart with her family’s money. She found ways to bring money into the home, and also spent wisely when it came to providing for her family. The Bible speaks numerous times about being a wise steward with what God gives to us. (Luke 12:42, Proverbs 14:24, Luke 6:38, etc.) It is irresponsible and not a good testimony for a Christian to squander or waste the blessings of God, and that includes the way you handle your finances!
When I became a stay-at-home Mom, and no longer brought in any income to our household, I went through an internal struggle for a bit. I would tell my hubby I felt like I was not contributing (financially) to our family. Bless his heart, he was always so quick to reassure me that I was contributing. And it was in watching how we spent our money, that I could be the biggest blessing. Here are some ways I keep an eye on our expenses, while trying to make every dollar stretch as far as we can in 2023!
Review your bank accounts for all automatic payments
You would be surprised how quickly these automatic deductions can creep up on you. Things like apps, music streaming services, shopping websites you have to be a “member” of, even extra iCloud storage all add up and can make a big difference in your bottom line at the end of the month. If you don’t need it, cancel it! What could you eliminate? Do you REALLY need that extra iCloud storage? Or could you adjust the things you are storing there? For example, if you offload old photos from your phone onto an external storage source you will free up tons of space. Delete old messages. Remove things from the “iCloud” that aren’t necessary to back up and store.
Shop for price comparisons on items you buy regularly
This is so easy to do nowadays. Just about every store has an app, where you can check prices for items, even at your local stores! It is worth the extra 5 minutes it may take to find a $5 savings on your dog food, or paper goods by going to an alternative store! Also, buy in bulk when you can. If a store is having a “buy one get one free” deal on something you use regularly, buy two! Save the second, free one, for when you need it in the future. If buying two pounds of ground beef is cheaper than buying one at a time, buy two, then wrap the second one up to put in the freezer until you need it. I like the quote “Failing to plan, is planning to fail.” – Allen Lakein. Never go shopping without a plan. Which leads into my next tip…
Shop sales flyers
(And combine with coupons when available!) Base your meals for the week off what is on sale. Publix is the best app for this, and I love shopping with it! You can view their weekly ad, clip digital coupons, and make a shopping list right in the app. Then it organizes your shopping list by aisle number for your particular store. So convenient, and a time-saver for sure.
Limit your trips to town
You may live close to stores, and it may seem convenient enough for you to make quick trips each day to pick up what you need, but we are 20 minutes or so away from anywhere. So for us, it made sense to limit the trips to town to one or two days a week. Gas used = money spent! I try to schedule things like grocery shopping on the same day as dental cleanings, or whatever. That way we get multiple things done around the same time, with as little back and forth as possible. (Don’t make yourself crazy! When you have little ones, they can get cranky if you try to do too much in one day. Your sanity is worth something, also! Factor this in.)
Stay organized and keep a clean house
I can’t tell you how many times I have gone looking for tape or scissors and can’t find them because they weren’t put back where they belong. So I have bought another pair, only to find the old ones days later when we clean the house. If your closets, drawers, and cabinets are a mess, things are more likely to get lost or damaged. Which requires more spending. This goes for your pantry and fridge, also. Make sure you know what you have, so you can use it, and it won’t expire or go to waste. It’s okay if you have to eat elbow macaroni in your spaghetti one night if that’s what you have!
No impulse buying
This isn’t just a check out line problem anymore. You know those websites that say “You’re only $12.01 away from free shipping!”? Well, that is designed to make you re-visit the store site, and shop for a ‘few more’ dollars of stuff! Don’t fall for it. If you don’t need it, don’t buy it! When you are browsing on Amazon, and see something cute, and feel the urge to ‘buy now’…don’t. Add it to your cart for later. Put the phone down, and walk away. (Or pray about it.) I can almost guarantee, if it’s not a necessity, you will likely forget about it and won’t buy it later. The excitement of the impulse buy will go away.
The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.
Proverbs 31:11-12
